I recently sat down with Matt Harris, our Chief Information Officer, to talk about the technology consultancy we offer here at Rocketmakers. Take a read and, if you think we can help you, feel free to drop me a line at frank@rocketmakers.com

What does technology consultancy mean at Rocketmakers?

Matt: With founders and start-ups, it’s about getting people on the right path and offering solutions such as CTO As A Service. A lot of start-ups don’t have that skillset, which can be a daunting process to jump into, especially building a complex app or platform. Having that skillset on demand and available in a lean way is really important. 

What's the typical approach to a technology consultancy project at Rocketmakers?

Matt: Going in and listening to a company’s business goal and gathering all the information to build an approach is the first step. The most important thing is adapting that approach and not being afraid to adapt it further as we go along. One of the advantages of a company working with Rocketmakers is that we’re not afraid to offering something different if we can see a better solution to a client’s challenges. This could be faster, cost less money and eventually deliver a better outcome.

What stage of their software development journey are clients typically at when they need technology consultancy?

Matt: It’s quite a mixed bag. It could be at the start, right at the end or in the middle of a big development that’s taking place. It can be applied at any stage really, so a good approach is to look at transition architectures. When looking at complex systems, it’s looking at the various steps to achieve the goal. These can typically be broken down into value add steps as well. A lot of businesses like to deliver value over the period, not just at the end of the approach or project. There might be some older systems that we have to bring up to spec, but at the same time delivering on business goals. 

What type of technology consultancy does Rocketmakers offer to clients?

Matt: We offer different types, but at the moment we’re specialising in digital transformation. This means looking at a problem and the technical approaches we can take to resolve these. This might be converting manual processes into automated, or moving old tech into new cloud based technologies. You can download our eBook '5 Signs Your Company Would Benefit From Digital Transformation' from our website.

What are the main benefits of technology consultancy?

Matt: It can save costs over time and helps develop the right approach at the start of a project, adapting as we go through. It also gives a deep understanding of a businesses goals and how these can be achieved. 

How would someone know that they’re suitable for technology consultancy?

Matt: If a company is suffering from a lot of technical debt or has very clear process inefficiencies, that’s when reaching out to a third party to come in, open the bonnet and look at all areas of the business is really useful.